This invention relates to an eye insert for a taxidermy form and to a taxidermy form having a preformed eye socket and an eye adapted for automatic alignment to an anatomically correct position and appearance.
The particular disclosure of this application is a taxidermy form of a white tail deer and an eye insert adapted for use with the form. However, the invention described in this application is equally adaptable to taxidermy forms of many other game species.
Conventionally, the head of a taxidermy form contains eye sockets of the approximate size present in the skull of the corresponding animal. These sockets are, of course, much larger than the eye itself which in the live animal is positioned in the socket and held in place by various muscles and a protective cushion of connective tissue including the lids and brow. Therefore, when modeling a taxidermy form to look lifelike and realistic, the eye must be set within this enlarged eye socket in a very correct and precise manner. Ordinarily, the eyes are set in clay or some other modeling material. This procedure must be done far enough ahead to allow for hardening of the material before the animal skin, referred to as the "cape," is applied to the form.
Proper setting of the eyes is extremely important to produce a natural looking mount. First, the center line of the eye pupil on each side rim of the eye socket must be determined. Then, the eye socket is partially filled with clay or mache and a glass eye having a convex outer surface and a concave inner surface is pressed into the socket and embedded into the modeling material. The glass eye must be adjusted so the eye represents a line of vision of approximately 45.degree. from the front. The eye must also be tipped downwardly slightly so that the line of vision is slightly below the horizontal. The degree of tipping necessary varies from one species to another. The downward tip of the glass eye should bring the pupil into the center of the eye opening at the widest point when the eyelids are later applied.
The eye must be adjusted so that it is the correct distance from the front and bottom rim of the eye socket. Then it is pressed further into the modeling compound until the outermost point overhangs or protrudes from the bottom rim of the eye socket by approximately 1/4 inch (0.6 cm). At this point, the eye depth and angle of the form relative to the outermost point of the eye must be determined. The distance from the front of the socket rim to the eye must again be checked to make sure it has not changed as the eye was pressed further into the modeling compound.
Rolls of clay are then placed above and below the eye to form a base for the eyelids. A great deal of skill is required to sculpt the eyelids since the modeling compound forms the foundation for the cape around the eyes. Finally, the eye opening with the lids in place must be checked to make sure that they extend the proper distance in all four directions from the center point of the eyeball. Not only must both eyes be carefully prepared to look realistic, but both eyes must be prepared substantially identically from one side to the other so that the form, when completed, is symmetrical.
From the foregoing, it is apparent that proper placement of an artificial eye in a taxidermy form is a complex procedure which requires a great deal of experience to perform properly and consistently. Because of the relatively large size of the eye socket, there is a great deal of room for variation in placement of the eye. Therefore, despite the best efforts of the taxidermist, results can vary from form to form, or even from one eye socket to the other on a single form. Even for a very experienced taxidermist, the procedure of properly setting and molding the eye into the socket can take several hours. In addition to the time required to carry out the procedure, further delay results if the modeling compound is allowed to dry before the cape is applied to the form.
Because of these disadvantages, some forms are now provided with preset eyes. The eyes are permanently molded into each form so that the taxidermist merely applies the cape to the form and glues it into place around the preformed eye. While this development does save a considerable amount of time over the conventional method, it nevertheless deprives the taxidermist of a great deal of flexibility in preparing each mount. Because the eyes are permanently preset into the sockets, no further adjustment of even a slight degree is possible. Furthermore, the color or size of the eye cannot be changed to correspond to the size of the animal cape or the preferences of the customer.
An important aspect of taxidermy modeling is the "look" of the finished animal. An experienced taxidermist can give a mounted animal a docile, alert or aggressive look by making subtle changes in the form, particularly the eye. The use of permanently preset eyes prevents the taxidermist from exercising this creativity in the creation of a particular mount. Also, the taxidermist may simply disagree subjectively with the "look" of the eyes as preset by the form manufacturer.